Studies on the ultraviolet-sensitive mutants of blue-green alga Synechocystis aquatilis Sanv.

✍ Scribed by Zhevner, Valentina D. ;Shestakov, Sergey V.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1972
• Weight: 678 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-9276
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00424991

✦ Synopsis

Several mutants of the unicellular blue-green alga Synechocystis aquatilis Sanv. were isolated. They differed from the wild type by the levels of sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The most sensitive mutant is unable to carry out photoreaetivation and shows increased resistance to mitomycin C, N-methyl-l~'nitro-I~-nitrosoguanidine and methyl methanesulfonate. This strain shows an enhanced rate of spontaneous and UV-induced mutagenesis. Another UV-sensitive mutant with normal level of X-ray sensitivity is characterized by a decreased mutability. The three other UV-sensitive mutants show simultaneous decrease of resistance to X-ray and alkylating agents. The existence of these cross-sensitive mutants indicates that a repair mechanism may operate in blue-green algae similar to dark repair systems of bacteria and yeast.